Australians Opting to Get Their News Online

As somebody who spends a fair bit of time online I am not in the least bit surprised about some recent statistics that have been released by a leading online competitive intelligence service - Hitwise. Hitwise has announced that News and Media - Print Web sites have experienced a solid 17.6% increase market share of visitors between April 2007 and April 2008.

The leading News and Media websites through to April 2008 were the Sydney Morning Herald (14.25%), The Age (10.39%), The Herald Sun (5.81%), The Daily Telegraph (3.62%), and The Australian (3.4%). It is interesting to note that the leading traffic driver to these websites was Google (13.34%) followed by nine MSN (3.11%). This is a really strong indication that a large majority of Web site users rely heavily on search engines as their news source.

Another interesting statistic coming out of the Hitwise report was the increase in growth of Web site traffic that is being referred from the social networking sites of Facebook and Digg to these News and Media portals.

I think that it further strong evidence at the demise of the traditional newspaper. Personally I still like to look at the newspaper but I find that the information that I’m reading is becoming very quickly outdated in comparison to the speed at which a News and media Web site can publish news stories.

 

Using Google Analytics to Avoid an Economic Downturn

The old saying goes that if America sneezes everybody gets a cold and with the US economy teetering on a recession and the Australian reserve bank pushing up interest rates to fight inflation we are bound to see a significant downturn in the Australian economy and consumer confidence. Read more

Search Engine Spam - What Google Knows!

Google knows plenty about the techniques that spammers use to “trick search engines” into thinking that their site is more relevant than others and Matt Cutts ( a Google engineer) gives a great presentation into some of these basic techniques that are being used.

 

Content Management System or Paid Maintenance?

Should you install a CMS or get someone to edit your content for you?

When you decide to get a website, one of your first things to consider should be what content you should have on your pages. After all, a website is nothing without content.

The very next decision you need to make is how you keep that content up to date. Having new and up to date content is very important, so it does not appear stagnant to your users and the search engines. EMW offers two services – a content managed solution, and regular web maintenance. Both have big advantages but also have a fair list of disadvantages. I will try and run through a few of them here.

Content Management System (CMS)

A Content Management System (CMS) allows you to log in to a secure area and make the changes to the pages you require. Within minutes you have the text changed and up to date. The software that you use is often very user friendly, making the job a breeze. EMW more often than not use Wordpress, which handles adding news, editing pages and uploading images and files.

CMS Pros

• Software is installed and ready to go right from the start – even if you aren’t. The site can be built on a skeleton structure, and you can add content as you get time.
• Changes can be made immediately. If you have changes that need to be made, you don’t have to wait for the job to be logged and completed.
• You have control of your site. You can add and delete to your hearts content.

CMS Cons

• It is not really that easy to edit HTML. Simple text and simple image uploads are fine, but sometimes doing to much can end up looking unprofessional.
• It can be expensive. If you don’t really do that much editing, then you will probably be wasting your money.
• Content Management is time consuming. If you are busy running your day to day business activities, then the last thing you want to do is spend your time adding new information to your website.
• Software Updates. Most of the CMS’s require you to keep your software up to date. Out of date software can be a security risk, and your Web Hosting Provider could shut you down in extreme cases. This is quite possibly the biggest downfall of the CMS solution, and is something you should definitely speak to your designer about including in your price.

Paid Maintenance

By this I mean compiling a list of what needs to be done and sending it to your developer to complete. Web Developers use two things that you don’t have – expensive programs for editing web pages and a good knowledge of HTML and how to implement it.

Paid Maintenance Pros

• Quick. As soon as you get everything sorted, you can almost request and forget.
• Your initial startup capital is reduced. Simple static pages are quicker and easier to design, which will be reflected in your quote.
• The job will always be neater and more professional. It can even be made more visually appealing and complex, which could be valuable in attracting customers.
• Web designers can also advise you on the best way to perform the maintenance. They can even change the structure to make your content more usable and accessible.

Paid Maintenance Cons

• You will not always get your job done when you need it. Just like visiting your doctor when you are sick, you still have to line up with the other patients.
• The costs can add up. If you need changes made constantly, then you can end up spending a lot of money keeping it up to date.

Conclusions

Both options are great solutions if you use them correctly. Make sure that you take in some of the following advice when making your decision.

Sort it out from the start. Determine how much you think you will need to change your content, and how much money you have in your budget.

Have realistic expectations as to what you can achieve with your Content Management. HTML IS NOT MICROSFT WORD, so if you treat it as such, you will only end up in a frustrated mess.

Having said that, be prepared to spend a bit of time learning the basics. Some basic HTML knowledge can make a massive difference to the look of your page.

Set some goals for your website and your content. If you have set your goals to high, don’t be afraid to reassess the goals with your web designer and look at making the content you are editing a little less complicated.

If we were to recommend a perfect solution, then we would advise you to get a content management system and allocate the time to learning how to use it. There is nothing more rewarding than having a well run website, and with a little bit of knowledge and some good advice from your web designer, you will soon see that controlling your content is a not as big a chore as it seems.

Remember that the website is a vehicle for your business, and needs to be maintained and fueled to make it run it as efficient as possible. No website will ever be finished to a stage where it can sit back and make you rich. But a little bit of effort can go a long way.